Analytics Software Suite for Network Performance

loby LivingObjects

b.lo™ is a modular analytics software platform loaded with extensive Network Operation exper-tise. Data from wireless or fixed infrastructure are brought together for real-time analysis, whether from the access, the transport, the core network and the service platforms. It uniquely combines Network Performance Management excellence, with analytics capabilities to bring new value to op-erators and their end-customers.

Whatever the initial domain the operator chooses to embed and start from, b.lo™ ensures a collabora-tive  mastery of the technology across the organiza-tion and is a key enabler to solve complex problems faster than ever. But b.lo™’s full power is revealed when a large multi-domain deployment is made across the networks. It then allows for an unrivalled ability to perform  end-to-end trouble-shooting, op-timization and performance management under all network configurations and SP profiles.

Network Performance and Operating teams can use b.lo™ to track the missing Hand-Over of a multi-vendor 2G/3G/4G RAN, or to understand the impact of a new VOD service on the IP Backbone.

Marketing teams can now directly assess call models, monitor the impact of network investments on new service adoption.

The interactive user interfaces allow the Custom-er Care to locate the subscriber’s claim on a map showing all the incidents and correlate this with a health-check of local equipment.

Service Providers are facing an incredibly complex challenge to assure good Quality of Service across their networks. They have to cope with an ever-in-creasing diversity of multi-technology networks, the faster pace of equipment upgrades and uninter-rupted pressure on cost. The trend is accelerating as many new technology concepts are leading to broader inter-dependency across the access, core and service infrastructures.

It is also becoming critical for various organizational groups to intensively interact with same heteroge-neous datasets: marketing teams need to get met-rics for call models, performance engineers need to understand end-user QoE, drill-down and analyze the history of many KPIs, while Customer Care need synthetic information to best support end-custom-ers.

Current Network Performance Management tools mainly focus on specific domains and struggle to provide the versatility, flexibility and scalability to ef-fectively address these challenges. A new genera-tion of platforms such as b.lo™ is now required.

b.lo™ has been deployed on fixed and wireless net-works, with more than 20 million subscribers, con-tinuously collecting data from million of nodes and serving 1,000s of users. Its maturity, scalability and security makes it the ultimate solution to efficient-ly manage the life cycle management of heteroge-neous networks.

Time for new performance management solutions

Dynamically manage the life-cycle of your networks

Cross-domain platformb.lo™ provides a unique ability to seamlessly access, mon-itor and manipulate data from various network domains (RAN, Fixed, Core, transport, Core, service platform…), from any technology (2G, 3G, 4G, ADSL, FTTH,….), in a multi-vendor environment (Ericsson, Cisco, NSN, Alcatel, Huawei, ZTE,….), and combines it with external sources of information (Service Provider referential, ticketing data base, radio coverage). An innovative non-hierarchical data model is generated to enable for any kinds of correlations and comparisons across the data sets.

Investigation and optimization toolb.lo™ embeds powerful detection and optimization tools that automate and speed up performance management tasks. Once a problem with VOD streaming, 4G through-put, or MME load is detected, users easily navigate through the network topology to directly extract KPI Top degradations across technologies, equipment, service and incident records.

Used across organizationAll kinds of analysis can be done simultaneously by all cat-egories of users, using the palette of advanced network tools or interpretive visualization features. In a few clicks, b.lo™ provides comprehensive information that helps both engineering teams troubleshoot complex problems and customer care communicate with simple words.

Multi domain Widget

Map visualization

From silo network performance monitoring ...… to global customer experience management

• Are you introducing a new vendor in your Radio Access Network and need multi vendor performance management ?

• Does your existing IP Network Management System lack features and scalability to assure SLA compliance for your Business custom-ers ?

• Do you want to maximize the use of VoLTE core Network ?

• Do you need to understand links between customer complaints and performance metrics ?

• Are you swapping your backhaul infrastructure from PDH technology to IP microwave link technology ?

• Do you require self-optimization capability for your Radio Access Network and need to decrease pressure on the performance team ?

Healthcheck and interactive dashboard

loby LivingObjects

Leverages your network assets

The Automatic Neighbor Relation module uses actual handover flows, OMC parameters and op-tionally simulated radio coverage or drive tests re-sults, to perform analysis and handover optimiza-tion on 2G, 3G and 4G Networks.

The ANR module detects missing relations and pro-poses the deletion of irrelevant ones. The optimized relationships can be injected manually or directly into the OMCs.Crucial for good quality mobile communications, Handover Optimization allows saving resources on mobile terminals and avoid coverage holes impact-ing the end-user Quality of Experience.

Prevent Incident on IP Networks

Because typical snmp monitoring techniques are rarely sufficient to assure consistency across an IP network infrastructure, b.lo™ includes an advanced Health Check module. Its scalability and capability allows network experts to easily design advanced al-gorithms to scan and control the hundreds of thou-sands of pieces of equipment in their networks.

When a setup inconsistency is reported or single point of failure is detected, a check sequence can be imported or designed in a few minutes. The entire network can then be scanned before the problem impacts service levels.

Expert features to optimize your networks 

Understand transit traffic in real time

b.lo™ Flow Analyzer leverages information on flow records coming from Transit and Peering routers. Updated with SP partners information and (option-ally) applicative information from DPI engines, b.lo™ provides the ability to build simple or complex que-ries to analyze transit traffic: Key partners, types of service exchanged with specific transit operators, geographical distribution of the services requested by their clients, application traffic, …

Relevant handoverMissing handover Abnormal handover

Advanced multiprotocol healthcheck admin UI

Mobile Network Handover Optimization

Web based, modular deployment

b.lo™ is a pure software platform installed on the Communication Service Provider’s premises and integrated into the existing IT system. End-users access web based UI via their secured intranet IT procedures. b.lo™ is based on a modular framework relying on a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). It provides functional modules, APIs for exporting data to exter-nal environment, and a policy management engine that securely manage multi-profile access. Modules can easily be added as service providers express new requirements.

Universal Collection Framework

APIs and plug-ins , managed by a non-blocking or-chestration engine, are used to interface with mul-tiple sources of network data to retrieve topology, performance data and configuration:

•Multi-vendorOMCcountersandparameters•Multi-vendor xDR•IP Polling: using snmp V2c/V3, telnet, ssh,... •Flow collection using Netflow V5, V9, V10/IPFix

b.lo™ embeds a wide-range of existing plug-ins in order to speed-up deployment time. Typical deploy-ment scenario yield results within weeks. b.lo™ ser-vice oriented architecture allows for a rapid creation of new plug-ins.

Real time big data access

b.lo™ scales up with breakthrough, home-grown, big-data technology optimized for time series anal-ysis. Innovative storage and distributed process-ing achieves high-speed throughput to deliver a top quality user experience, while assuring horizontal (more nodes) and vertical (more parameters) scal-ability as well as fault tolerance, with sober CPU and storage resources.

The high performance and robust memory manage-ment of b.lo™ open new opportunities for advanced data processing (analytics, detection, optimization) and progressive automation (machine learning). External API can be fed, through web services, data warehouse or third party tools while assuring SLA across b.lo™ functional modules.

Don’t let storage and data access be an obstacle to your network analysis capability

Innovative data model

Collected data is handled by an innovative model-ing engine. It harmonizes data from heterogeneous sources and virtualizes network complexity. Data is stored in a graph model Data Base to deliver flexi-bility and scalability all along the operating process.

Data enrichment (device and service attributes and clusters) is performed manually or automatical-ly scheduled. A consistency management assures availability and integrity of the datasets before they are accessed and used by the various modules.

Architecture & Implementation

Performance management is a matter of expertise, reactivity and regularity. A specific Report Studio helps operator teams improve their efficiency and calls for decisions throughout the day, the week or the month by easing and structuring commu-nication within their organization and across their ecosystem.

It turns multi domain informa-tion, objects (graph, TOP, map, alerts, …) from the b.lo™ plat-form into simple configurable widgets that can easily be moved around, edited, re-dimensioned and combined. Each widget is a dynamic object that can be auto-matically updated with refreshed data if desired.

Once complete, a report can be declared as a “template”, edited by a non-specialist to perform on the fly health-check or to schedule automatic e-mailings for weekly reporting.

Interpret your Networks with b.lo™

KPI ModuleMulti vendor, multi domain KPIGraphical editorMathematical & Boolean operatorsOn the fly building and processing Post processing and recording

Turn data magma into a coherentset of decisional information

Seamlessly create and automate reports

Analytics modulePeak Time & TrendQuartilesCorrelation (Dependency between KPI)Out of rangeData enrichment

Alerting moduleThreshold: Multi KPIs & attributesBaseline: 3 week profileSlow drift: Annual profilingIP conf consistency checkMaintenance periodsNotifications

Map moduleGoogle, open street viewNetwork element overlayFiltering on KPIs, clusters, attributesEvents: Alert, roll out, customer claims Mobile: coverage, Hand over

Table widgetNEs or Services listTop on advanced conditionsData enrichmentFilteringHealth-check forwardingExport

Graph widgetCross-domainTimeline, pie, graphic bar,..Customizable : axis, legend,..FilteringHealth-check templateZoom, drill down, ...

Data enrichmentCluster interactive creation on mapClusters/attributes manual or scheduledimportImport consistency check

End-user workspaceRole-based access controlMulti-tab workspaceExtensive end-user customization

TopologyGraphical editor administrationClick-on navigation

The number of events or incidents in an operator network is too large for each network element or service to be continuously monitored individually. Yet, every event may be a source of dissatisfaction for the end-customers .

A suite of plug & play analytics, automation and alerting modules are provided in b.lo™. End-user builds, on the fly, relevant multi-vendor KPIs using mathematical or boolean operands, with a graphical edi-tor. b.lo™ KPI module turns raw counters and attributes into mean-ingful metrics used to monitor the health of your networks. KPIs can be shared or restricted.

The Analytics and Alerting modules provide innovative algorithms to prioritize optimization tasks and corrective actions, build capacity planning and monitor network health-check. With the Cluster mod-ule, any user can very simply create their own personal clusters and filters, abstracting the immensity of the available information and fo-cusing on what really matters for the tasks to be performed.

A large palette of visualization options are offered in b.lo™ Dash-board module: graphs, pivot tables, top, maps. All of them can be stored in end-user multi tab dashboards, updated on demand, ex-ported and shared. No programming skill is required, even when de-fining very complex queries and views. Automation and aggregated knowledge builds up rapidly, and productivity is positively impacted.

b.lo™ in numbers

Reference tier one implementation

20 M subscribers;Wireless : 2G/3G/4G WirelessFixed Network : DSL, FTTxCore Network: R4, IMS, MME, MGW, VoLTEService platform : IN, VOD, SMSC, MMSC

Collected counters/KPI per dayMonitored network nodes Call Data Record User accountsTime for typical report/view Time for nationwide report/viewServers (commodity server) Time to deploy b.lo™

About LivingObjects

Key Benefits

> Billions> 1 Million> 10 Million > 1500< 10 sec< 30 sec< 10 servers< 3 months

Already have existing tools in place ? Lack features ? Holes in your monitoring coverage ?Start with b.lo™ where you most need it and expand progressively.

You’ll be amazed how easy it is and what it can bring ! 

Training and services

LivingObjects complements its software product offer with a large palette of professional services delivered by its skilled Professional Experts & Partner Services (PEPS) team, combining internal and external certified resources. Customers can rely on LivingObjects and/or its partners to help them with various tasks such as extended technical queries, training, installations, integration, configuration, as well as customizations.

Customers can request the assistance of the PEPS team, or of one of LivingObjects integration partners, to adapt reference KPI and formulas libraries in addition to custom-izing part of the solution in their specific context according to their specific policies.

The PEPS team is well accustomed to these configuration tasks and can be hired for a rapid set-up, a migration from legacy systems, for specific and ad-hoc consulting, anal-ysis and audit missions related to telecom and network performance management.

LivingObjects is a leading provider of network performance management solutions for op-erators and service providers. LivingObjects scalable platforms monitor, manage and op-timize mobile, fixed or converged multi-tech-nology network infrastructure as well as the associated deployed services. Headquartered in Toulouse – France, LivingObjects works with international commercial and technical partners to provide local support and efficient service to customers across the world.

Request a demo: demo@livingobjects.comCommercial inquiries: sales@livingobjects.com

General information: contact@livingobjects.comLivingObjects: 1, Impasse Chalard, 31100 Toulouse France

Tel : +33-(0)561-99-8491

• Cross-domain performance, capacity planning and SLA management.

• Automatic Neighbor Relation module for 2G,3G and 4G networks.

• Advanced consistency checks module for IP Net-works.

• Analytics loaded with network expertise.

• High-speed throughput enabling top quality end-user experience.

• Successful abstraction of network complexity for non-specialist end-user.

• Recognized massive impact on productivity and oper-ational cost by automating tasks.